Mold made of nickel-phosphorus alloy

ABSTRACT

A nickel-phosphorus alloy is consisted of nickel and phosphorus. The weight percent of the nickel element is from about 86.95% to about 87.05%. The weight percent of the phosphorus element is from about 12.95% to about 13.05%.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to alloy materials, and particularly, to a nickel-phosphorus alloy and a mold made of the nickel-phosphorus alloy.

2. Description of Related Art

As the hardness, the toughness, the abrasion resistance, and the processing characteristics of nickel-phosphorus alloys are better than other alloys, nickel-phosphorus alloys are used and manufactured as molds. However, as the nickel-phosphorus alloy includes many other kinds of metal and the percentage of the nickel element is low, a number of small defects (i.e., scratches) may be easily formed on a contact surface of the mold.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a nickel-phosphorus alloy and a mold, which can overcome the limitations described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of part of a mold in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a microscopic view of a molding surface of the mold of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a microscopic view of a molding surface of a mold made of an alloy of nickel and phosphorus of related art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a mold 10, according to an exemplary embodiment. The mold 10 is configured for molding a plastic element (not shown), and includes a molding surface 11. In the embodiment, the plastic element is a lens.

The mold 10 is made of a nickel-phosphorus alloy. The nickel-phosphorus alloy is consisted of a nickel element and a phosphorus element.

The weight percent of the nickel element is from about 86.95% to about 87.05%, and the weight percent of the phosphorus element is from about 12.95% to about 13.05%.

In order to improve the machinability of nickel-phosphorus alloys, the weight percent of the nickel element is about 86.95%, and the weight percent of the phosphorus element is about 13.05%. The atomic percent of the nickel element is about 78.01%, and the atomic percent of the phosphorus element is about 21.99%.

The nickel element is metallic. The mechanical strength and the ductility of the nickel element are good. The nickel element is hard to dissolve and resistant to high temperatures. The chemical stability of the nickel element is high, and it has a very low oxidation factor.

The phosphorus element is non-metallic. When the phosphorus element is doped into the nickel element, the processing characteristics of the phosphorus element in an alloy is greatly improved.

When the weight percent of the phosphorus element is lower than about 13%, the machinability of the nickel-phosphorus alloy will be improved. The nickel-phosphorus alloy is changed from a crystalline state to an amorphous state as the weight percent of the phosphorus element is increased. However, when the weight percent of the phosphorus element is greater than about 13%, the hardness and the abrasion resistance of the nickel-phosphorus alloy decreases. The hardness, the toughness, the abrasion resistance, and the machinability of the nickel-phosphorus alloy with a crystalline state is better than the machinability of the nickel-phosphorus alloy with an amorphous state.

In the process of manufacturing the nickel-phosphorus alloy, the nickel element and the phosphorus element are mixed according to above percentages. Then, the nickel element and the phosphorus element are heated to a molten state under a vacuum, the nickel element and the phosphorus element mix completely. The nickel-phosphorus alloy gradually crystallizes as the temperature of the compound drops.

FIG. 2 shows the molding surface 11 of the mold 10, the mold 10 being made of the nickel-phosphorus alloy of this embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a molding surface of another mold, which is made of a nickel-phosphorus alloy of related art.

The machining traces on the molding surface of FIG. 3 (of related art) are more obvious than that of FIG. 2. That is to say, the roughness of the molding surfaces 11 of the mold 10 made of the nickel-phosphorus alloy of this embodiment is significantly less than that of the mold made of the nickel-phosphorus alloy of related art.

In the process of machining the molding surface 11 of the mold 10 by a tool (not shown), the cutting depth is about 6 μm, the feed rate of the tool is about 10 mm/min, the rotation speed of the tool is about 1100 rpm, and the cutting edge radius is about 0.3-0.5 mm. According to a number of experiments, the machining precision of the molding surface 11 of the mold 10 will be improved by using the above parameters.

Particular embodiments are shown and described by way of illustration only. The principles and the features of the present disclosure may be employed in various and numerous embodiments thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure as claimed. The above-described embodiments illustrate the scope of the disclosure but do not restrict the scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A nickel-phosphorus alloy, consisting of: a nickel element, the weight percent of the nickel element being from about 86.95% to about 87.05%; and a phosphorus element, the weight percent of the phosphorus element being from about 12.95% to about 13.05%.
 2. The nickel-phosphorus alloy of claim 1, wherein the weight percent of the nickel element is about 86.95%, the weight percent of the phosphorus element is about 13.05%.
 3. The nickel-phosphorus alloy of claim 1, wherein the atomic percent of the nickel element is about 78.01%, and the atomic percent of the phosphorus element is about 21.99%.
 4. A mold made of a nickel-phosphorus alloy, the nickel-phosphorus alloy consisting of: a nickel element, the weight percent of the nickel element being from about 86.95% to about 87.05%; and a phosphorus element, the weight percent of the phosphorus element being from about 12.95% to about 13.05%.
 5. The mold of claim 1, wherein the weight percent of the nickel element is about
 86. 95%, the weight percent of the phosphorus element is about 13.05%.
 6. The mold of claim 1, wherein the atomic percent of the nickel element is about 78.01%, and the atomic percent of the phosphorus element is about 21.99%. 